I live in a home of die-hard allergy sufferers, so when the seasonal allergy seasons roll around, I try and brace myself for the worst.  My daughter will get a runny nose coupled with itchy, watery eyes and will typically be in a foul mood.  My husband also gets the same foul mood, along with major sinus and sneezing troubles.

I'm lucky for seasonal allergies don't affect me much, but this year seemed to be different.  Everyone in my home was in a constant foul mood and I was getting mind-splitting headaches almost daily.  I rarely get headaches, so this was a cause for concern.  Also, my husband started getting headaches within minutes of coming home from work.  We all felt miserable and even though everyone was taking allergy medication to ease our woes, nothing seemed to be helping.  Keep reading to learn more!

Since both my husband and I are first time homeowners, we're still learning the ropes when it comes to regular home maintenance.  But when we received an advertisement in the mail for ductwork cleaning, a light bulb came on in my husband's head.  :idea:

Maybe the quality of the air in our home had gotten so bad that it was actually making us sick.  To make a long story short, we booked an appointment immediately and what the cleaning company found was quite disturbing.

Our home is twenty years old, though we've only lived in it for five years.  There was black mold in every single air duct upstairs and in most of the ones downstairs.  The company said that it looked as though our ductwork had NEVER been cleaned in twenty years and that there was no doubt that the air quality in our home had gotten so bad that it was causing our headaches and horrible allergy symptoms.  They thoroughly cleaned, scrubbed and sanitized our entire ductwork and sure enough, the general ill feeling left almost immediately.

Obviously, big maintenance jobs like this are necessary from time to time, but Filtrete has the perfect solution for the everyday.  The new Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter helps remove odors throughout your entire home while improving indoor air quality and helping to reduce airborne allergens such as pollen, mold spores and dust mite debris from the air passing through the filter. The filter has a unique two-sided design, with one side that captures large airborne particles and the second side that removes household odors.

Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter Benefits:

• 65 times more effective than other carbon filters at removing odors, such as those from cooking, tobacco smoke, pets, mildew and cleaning chemicals.
• Starts to remove even the strongest odors in minutes, after the furnace fan is turned on
• Captures large airborne allergens such as household dust, pollen, mold spores and dust mite debris
• Captures microscopic particles such as smoke, pet dander and smog
• Lasts up to three months for odor removal and particle capture for air passing through the filter
• Retails for $15.99 and are available at select home centers, hardware and grocery stores nationwide.

Healthy living expert and author Lisa Beres shares the following simple solutions to naturally create and maintain a fresh home:

Kitchen refrigerator

Solution: Forgotten leftovers can cause a foul odor in your fridge. Clean the fridge drawers and shelves by adding a few drops of natural dish soap to a bowl of baking soda and stir until it creates a thick paste. This will remove odors as well as stains left behind
from food. Also store an open box of baking soda inside the fridge to help eliminate odors before they start, and replace it with a fresh box at least every three months.

Pests and repellents

Solution: Pesky ants and other insects can make their way into your kitchen pantry when they’re on a mission to find food, but dousing them and your kitchen’s surfaces in toxic repellent isn’t a healthy solution for the home or the family. Instead, set a line of coffee grinds, lemon juice, cinnamon or cayenne pepper around doors and windows to create an effective barrier they won’t cross.

Cooking

Solution: Prevent unappealing cooking odors, such as fish, from spreading and lingering throughout the entire home by upgrading to the Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter. It traps odors and gases from the air passing through the filter and helps keep the home fresh for
families and houseguests. Synthetic air fresheners, candles and incense only provide temporary relief from odors by masking them in one particular room but will do nothing to remove the odors from the entire home.

Damp towels

Solution: Wet towels from a shower, a trip to the gym or a day at the pool can be a breeding ground for mildew to develop if they sit too long without drying. To rid towels of the mildew smell, first wash them once in hot water with a cup or two of white vinegar. Then wash them again with a natural or eco-friendly laundry detergent. Finally, dry the towels in the dryer on high heat. To avoid mildew and associated smells in the future, hang towels up right away to ensure they dry thoroughly.

Pet odors

Solution: Furry companions are considered family members to many — 72 percent of American households today own either a dog or a cat. Reduce the unpleasant smell of pet dander by bathing and grooming your pet weekly and establishing pet-free zones in the home, such as the bedroom.

Stay up-to-date with everything Filtrete by following them on both Facebook and Twitter.  Also, be sure to sign up for the Filtrete eNewsletter to get coupons, tips and filter change reminders.

Clean Up Your Home's Air with Filtrete:

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.